Invalidated Fatality
by Iota
Summary: Heero Yuy has disappeared on a mission and nobody knows whether he is dead or alive.
1. Mission

Disclaimer: I own absolutely nothing. I swear!  
  
A/N: I actually like this one . . . Read and Review!!!!  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Invalidated Fatality  
  
Chapter One  
  
~~~~~  
  
After Colony Year 197  
  
Another mission. Another pained reminder of what he was, of what he was meant to be. 01 pulled on his gloves, readied his machine gun, and leaned against the wall while a group of guards walked down the connecting hall. In his mind, he regretted having to kill these poor men who were nothing more than statistics to their leader, nothing more than mere pieces in a game of Risk. But, he pulled that trigger and watched them fall without a single emotion, without a thought. He set a detonation device, attached it to the wall, and continued toward the main control room of the rebel base.  
  
He went on like this down several more hallways, killing and setting explosives, until he heard it. It was a humming sound, a low buzz echoing in his ears, and he realized with disgust that the organization was going to sacrifice an entire base and all of the base personnel. To get rid of him. He frowned, searching out the source of the noise to no avail. 01 stood in place, unwilling to let this base be sacrificed, unwilling to allow so many unfair deaths. He had to find that noise. As he headed to the center of the base, he realized that the noise awaited him there, at the main control room. He couldn't stop it. He could leave, but he was already here, they knew it, they could prove it, and he had a mission to complete. The soldier in him wouldn't let him abandon that mission.  
  
Preventer 01 reached the main control room. His goal: to steal important files and destroy the base. He shot the code-box, and kicked the door down. The room was deserted except for the low buzzing noise he had heard earlier. Cautiously, the young soldier entered the room. Triggered by his presence, a red light began flashing on and off, and the buzzing noise got louder and faster. He didn't bother running, although he knew what was going to happen. Standing in the center of the rounded room, 01 dropped his machine gun and smirked. He wasn't afraid of death.  
  
The buzzing stopped abruptly.  
  
It was a series of explosions starting with the outside corners of the base and moving inward. 01 didn't move, didn't flinch, didn't blink. He just waited. Within seconds, the main control room was history. The walls caved in, engulfed in flames, and the computers short-circuited. The initial explosion sent the Preventer sprawling, and he choked slightly on the smoke. It was then that he realized something he had forgotten: he didn't want to die. Especially like this - pointlessly. He smirked again. "I will survive," he muttered before he lost consciousness. "Relena . . ."  
  
~~~~~  
  
"Sir," a soldier said to a man enshrouded in darkness, "we have him."  
  
The man chuckled. "Do we? Well, fetch him. Dr. Lake will be pleased to see him."  
  
"Yes, sir!" the soldier saluted and scurried away, shouting orders at several inferiors.  
  
"Well, well," the man said, amused, "We finally caught him."  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~END CHAPTER~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 


	2. Nothing

Disclaimer: If I owned it, I'd be sure to rub it in your face.  
  
~~~~~  
  
Invalidated Fatality  
  
Chapter Two  
  
~~~~~  
  
Lady Une frowned and massaged the bridge of her nose. One of her best preventers had vanished completely. He should have returned from his mission several days ago, but no one had heard from him, no one had seen him, and no one knew where to look. Although he was known for trying to estrange himself from the people he cared for, Lady Une knew that this was not the case. It was in his contract to inform her of any such plot, and it was in his nature to stick to the contract.  
  
The vid-phone beeped. Putting her glasses back on, Lady Une pushed a button to receive the transmission. "Yes, Mr. Winner?" she said.  
  
"Hello, Lady Une," Quatre said. "Any leads?"  
  
"No. I just sent several preventers to search the mission site. They haven't found anything yet." Lady Une shook her head.  
  
Nodding, Quatre said, "I have one."  
  
"Well?"  
  
"I'm coming back to Earth. I'll tell you then."  
  
As the screen went blank, Lady Une sighed, turned to her computer, and began writing the necessary emails. She had already informed the other Gundam pilots of Heero Yuy's disappearance, and now she had to deal with the task of informing other important people. Of those people, she would not inform Relena Darlian/Peacecraft. Relena was recently nominated for re- election for the position of Vice Foreign Minister, but she didn't want to be re-elected. Unfortunately for her, she didn't have a good enough reason to decline, and she always had a strong desire to help the people. Lady Une needed her elected because she strongly supported the Preventers. Not many politicians supported the Preventers' Organization yet, so they needed all the support they could get. If Relena did find out about Mr. Yuy's disappearance, there would be a good chance that she'd abandon her previous commitments and search for him . . . Therefore, Lady Une deduced that she would refrain from telling Relena as long as possible.  
  
~~~~~  
  
BRING! Brrrring! Brrrriiinngg! The phone was ringing like crazy in Heero Yuy's apartment, but nobody was home to answer it.  
  
~~~~~  
  
Heero regained consciousness bolted to a hard, frozen metal table in a pitch black room. His body ached and felt too heavy to move. Suddenly, a light flickered on overhead, bathing the room in a pale irredescent blue light. Heero frowned, watching a door slide open and a man enter the room.  
  
"Good morning," the man chuckled, "About time you woke up. We were starting to worry." Heero wondered what he meant by 'we.' The man stood closer to the table. "After all, it would be a pity to lose a weapon we never got a chance to use."  
  
Heero's eyes widened. "What?" he asked, his voice hoarse.  
  
The man laughed; it sounded almost bitter. "Don't bother fighting us," he replied darkly. "You won't win." He pulled a syringe from his coat pocket. "In exactly twenty-four hours," he said, inserting the needle in Heero's arm, "You won't know any better."  
  
The amber liquid from the syringe flowed into Heero's veins. He shuddered involuntarily as the world around him dimmed. "Bastard . . ." he muttered.  
  
The man left the room, turned off the lights, and smiled at the guard outside the little room. "Only Dr. Robinson is allowed in," he told him and headed down the hall. To himself, he added, "My plan is in progress . . ."  
  
~~~~~  
  
Duo turned off the videophone rather violently and leaned back in his chair. "Nothing," he muttered.  
  
Trowa, who was scouring the Internet for information about their missing friend, frowned. "I'm not getting anything either," he said. "I wonder how Quatre's doing with this."  
  
Duo sighed. "Yea, maybe he's having better luck, eh? I'll call 'im." He dialed the number, and Quatre's face appeared on the videoscreen.  
  
"Hello, Duo," he said. "Before you ask - no, I have no more information about Heero. He just disappeared."  
  
Moving from his position against the wall, Wufei asked, "He may have decided not to come back. You know how he is -"  
  
"Yes," Quatre replied, "but I don't think he would. It's not like him to leave when it's important that he stays. The Magnauts are out searching the site, but all they found so far was a bit of blood and a piece or two of his jacket. I'm coming to Earth - I'll tell you everything I know when I get there."  
  
"Sure thing, Blondie," Duo said, frowning as the screen went blank. "Something here just isn't adding up . . ."  
  
~~~~~  
  
Sally Po rapped on the doorframe of Lady Une's office.  
  
"Yes?" Lady Une said, looking up from her computer. "News?"  
  
Nodding, Sally Po replied, "Nothing."  
  
With a sigh, Lady Une shook her head, finished her email to Preventer Wind, and sent it.  
  
~~~~~  
  
Lucretzia Noin Peacecraft smiled at her husband. He had been away for most of the day, dealing with several technical problems that the Mars Colony was experiencing. "Zechs," she said, wrapping her arms around his waist and laying her chin on his chest, "What's wrong?"  
  
Zechs kissed her forehead, but pulled her arms off and looked at her.  
  
"Did something happen with the colony? I thought -"  
  
He shook his head. "No. The colony's fine - it's built wonderfully - it was just a wiring issue in the main control area."  
  
"Then why do you look so stressed?" Noin frowned, hoping he wasn't going to avoid the topic like he sometimes did.  
  
Zechs sighed, knowing that he was defeated. "Noin," he said, "I received an email from Colonel Une this afternoon."  
  
"And?"  
  
"Heero Yuy is MIA."  
  
"What!? You can't be serious, he . . ." Noin blinked in disbelief. "What happened?"  
  
Zechs shrugged. "They don't know. The base exploded, and Yuy never returned to Headquarters. He may have disappeared on purpose, but they don't think so."  
  
"Didn't they find anything there?"  
  
"No, they didn't. If he were dead, they would have found his body beneath the rubble," Zechs told her. "I don't think he's dead. All they found was some blood and a small piece of his jacket."  
  
Noin sat down. She couldn't believe that the young man they had so relied upon during the wars could be MIA. Her world had become suddenly sharper. Zechs sat down next to her, and she leaned back against him. "Does Relena know?" she asked.  
  
"No," he said, "and I don't think she should. She has a lot on her mind as it is."  
  
"Zechs . . ."  
  
~~~~~END CHAPTER~~~~~ 


	3. Memories

Disclaimer: [technical jargon =noid!onot@owng#unda$mwin%gori^tsch&arac*ters-soki(ssof)f]  
  
Author Info: O.o' Oh! And these: "****" mean dreams in this chapter . . .  
  
~~~~~  
  
Invalidated Fatality  
  
Chapter 3  
  
~~~~~  
  
Relena bolted upright in bed. Hot tears streamed down her face. "Heero," she whispered, "what's wrong?" She knew something was wrong; she always knew. She hadn't spoken to him in three full years, but she still knew. She reached over and pulled on a thick, braided cord hanging near her bed. Hurriedly, she pulled on her silk robe and wiped the tears from her face. There was a knock on the bedroom door. "Come in," she said.  
  
Pagan, Relena's ancient butler and her trusted friend, entered the room. "Is there anything I can do for you, Miss?" he asked.  
  
Relena sighed. "Yes, Pagan. Do you know any recent news about Heero Yuy?"  
  
"Mr. Yuy? No, I don't believe I do. May I ask why, Miss Relena?"  
  
With another sigh, Relena sat down. "No reason, Pagan," she said, forcing herself to smile. "You can go. Thank you."  
  
"Any time, Miss." he replied as he walked out, shutting the door behind him.  
  
Frowning, Relena sat down at her vanity and looked in the mirror. There was definitely something wrong. He was hurt or in danger . . . or something. She could feel it. She closed her eyes, and again the too- vivid dream played itself out in her mind.  
  
*****  
  
The room was small and dark (a pale blue light in the ceiling was the only light in the room) with wires - they were red, green, and blue, but everything was blurred - running down one wall onto a flat, chrome bed - or were there two? - that was bolted into the corner. She was seeing from Heero's eyes - or she was in his body or something. Maybe she was the one in the dream - she didn't know. She was sitting in the corner across from the bed, leaning against the two walls, which were surprisingly ice cold, for support, and she was shaking. Her head spun and her chest heaved to breathe. Her head jerked up as the door to the little room opened. A figure, shrouded in haziness, stepped into the room from the bright outside. Relena - or whoever she was in the dream - raised her head and squinted up at the figure. Anger boiled inside her, but it was drowned soon enough. Something small and silver glinted in the figure's hand and came closer. She heard Heero's voice moaning, and then there was nothing.  
  
*****  
  
Relena's eyes snapped open, again streaming with tears. She knew, now, what had happened. Heero had been captured. And, she realized suddenly, was going to be used by the enemy. She shook her head. She wouldn't let them do that. Quietly, Relena dressed, slipped downstairs, and out the door. She needed fresh air.  
  
~~~~  
  
Pagan shook his head as he watched the young princess leave. "She knows," he said, turning to the phone. He dialed a number and waited for Noin's voice. "She knows," he told her. "What should we do?"  
  
"I don't know," Noin replied. "We'll have to wait and see."  
  
"Of course." Pagan hung up the phone and shook his head again. "Poor Miss Relena," he said to himself. He smiled faintly. "They're almost psychic - those two. It must mean something . . ."  
  
~~~~  
  
He stood in a large, chrome room - the training room - and looked without emotion at the man before him. He had a feeling he shouldn't be here, shouldn't be doing this, but he couldn't place it. It tugged at something deep inside him, and it bothered him, but there was nothing he could do. He nodded at the instructions he was just given. He didn't need to be told; he knew them by heart. The man left the room, He pulled out his weapon - a shining green light saber - and dropped into battle stance. Without a noise, without a movement other than his eyes, he searched the room for the enemy. The enemy was excellent in stealth, brilliant in deception, and cunning with its attacks, but he was more swift, more ruthless, and more accurate. It never had a chance.  
  
He stood head-down, looking at the defeated simulation, and frowned. Something was wrong. Something was always wrong. Shaking his head to clear his mind, He looked at the man again. The man nodded, pleased with His results.  
  
"Very good, 01," he said. "Now try the mobile suit. You should be excellent at that."  
  
He nodded, putting his lightsaber away. After the mobile suit, he knew it would be back to the firing range. He never missed, never failed, never messed up any of the simulations, any of the practices. Why did they keep doing them? Why did they keep running the tests? He shook his head again and walked down to the hangar. When would he get a real mission? This place . . . the walls, the floor, even the ceiling - he hated it all. But everytime he began to think like that, he'd get a migraine and searing pain shot throughout his body. When would it end? He wished he could be defeated and die like the others. There were others - he had to fight against them in some of the training. He had killed some of them, but not the others. He killed the ones that cowered. But he was punished for not killing the rest. He didn't care - they could do whatever they wanted to him, and he wouldn't care. Everything seemed familiar. He didn't need the training - and didn't know why. But they still made him do it.  
  
The mobile suit simulation turned out better than expected. They stared in wonder at him when they removed the wires from his head. He looked each of them pointedly in the eye and followed Dr. Robinson out.  
  
~~~~  
  
Preventers Headquarters: an array of cursing, slamming fists, arguing, and desperate attempts at not shooting those confounded computers. Lady Une shook her head sadly at the four Gundam pilots and Sally Po. "Nothing?" she asked. The reply was a loud "no" from all of them at once. "Keep me posted," she said, and cautiously backed out of the room. If they didn't find Yuy fast, she thought, there'd be Hell to pay . . . Then she saw Relena, who was standing patiently by Lady Une's office with a worried, tired expression. With a sigh, Lady Une went to greet her. Oh, Hell would even have a hard time with this one . . . 'Damn it, Yuy, you had better be alive.'  
  
~~~~  
  
01 lay on that hard metal bed, staring at the dull metal ceiling. He had nothing to think about - wasn't sure if he 'could' think about anything. He was sure they limited his thoughts, but he didn't know how or why. He didn't like not knowing. Sighing, he put his hands behind his head and closed his eyes.  
  
****  
  
She was beautiful - long, golden brown hair, defying blue eyes. She looked hurt, but kept her mouth firm and never took her eyes from his. Who was she? he wondered. She was so close to him, so close, and he had to stop himself from touching her. She smiled and walked away, turning around only to say goodbye, but he couldn't hear her. He saw her mouth form the word "good-bye," then another. His name. She had said his name. He did know her. But why? He felt himself smirk slightly - a new feeling for him. Then, everything turned red and black, and he was sent tumbling back to reality.  
  
****  
  
"Damn needles," he muttered upon waking up.  
  
"Get over it."  
  
He scoffed, looking down at the needle in his arm.  
  
"Get up, the boss wants to see you. C'mon, we don't have all day - he'll be in here any minute."  
  
Doing as he was told, 01 stood. Not like he had a choice in the matter. They controled him, his every move, his thoughts, his memories, his life. He didn't move when the "boss" walked in, didn't move when he was punched across the face, didn't move when he was shot. Emotionlessly, he watched Commander Hinton, the "boss," leave the room. Then, 01 turned his glance to the soldier that woke him up. The soldier was shaking his head sadly. "How long have I been here," 01 said rather than asked.  
  
The soldier raised an eyebrow. "A month. I'm pretty sure. You don't remember, I guess . . . not surprising. Yea, I think you've been here for a month. They're about ready to send you on missions now," he told him, "so don't go screwing up, okay?" The soldier left, securing the door when it closed.  
  
Only a month . . . no memories, no name - just a number, no real emotions, no anything. He looked down at his blood dripping onto the floor. And they were trying to kill him.  
  
~~END CHAPTER~~  
  
Do you like it? Hello??? I asked you a question. Okay, fine, but if you find a letter bomb in the mail, its not my fault . . . 'you' were the one that didn't want to review . . . 


	4. Discovery

Disclaimer: I do NOT own Gundam Wing, its characters, mobile suits, extras, character personalities, bases, weaponry, colonies, countries, ideals, insane laughter, backstories, or plot devices (these include Trowa). I'm just borrowing them . . . for all eternity.  
  
A/N: Once upon a time, I could spell. Then highschool happened.  
  
~~~~  
  
Invalidated Fatality - Chapter 4  
  
~~~~  
  
First mission: Test mission. Simple, tactical, destructive and quick. He came back in one piece - without a scratch - having pulled off his first mission without a hitch. They looked pleased, and for some reason, he disliked this. But he wisely kept his mouth shut. It had been interesting - his body seemed so used to real battle, his mind seemed programed to it. There were others - some came back crying or shaking uncontrolably. "The screams," they had said. "We killed them . . ." There were a couple that came back triumphantly from their first missions. "We did it," they said with haughty smiles, "we defeated the enemy." He watched on through all of this, but didn't understand. 'Human lives,' he thought - ignoring the throbbing - 'aren't playtoys. Who do these people think they are?' He understood that he was not one of them, that there was more to these people than met the eye.  
  
"You - 01," a voice called to him, breaking up his thoughts. He turned around slowly. Dr. Robinson beckoned him to come. Following obediently, 01 had a bad feeling about this. Something big was on the way.  
  
~~~~  
  
"I found something," Trowa said matter-of-factly.  
  
Duo pushed his hat up away from his face and sleepily pulled his feet off the desk. "What?" he yawned. He and Trowa were working night shift trying to find Heero - Lady Une had people working on it at all hours. It had been too long, and the importance of finding him was increasing.  
  
"An attack on one of the guerilla bases in . . ." he typed some more, "China."  
  
"Weren't those guys our allies?" Duo yawned again. "D'you think Heero attacked it?"  
  
Trowa nodded. "Yeh, there seems to be resonable proof for it . . ."  
  
"Why'd he wanna do somethin' like that?"  
  
Trowa shook his head. "Hell if I know." He loaded the information on a floppy and handed it to Duo. "Take that to Zechs."  
  
"Yes, O Mighty Evil One," Duo replied begrudingly, taking the floppy and shuffling out the door. He never got enough sleep as it was - why did they have to get the night shift?  
  
~~~~  
  
01 stood calmly before the two most important people in the building. They overlooked him, asked him questions he thought were completely irrelevant, and he waited for possible orders.  
  
"Do you remember anything?" Dr. Lake asked, signaling Dr. Robinson to inject him with an unknown liquid.  
  
The answer was no - he remembered nothing from before this accursed place - but before he answered, he began throwing up. He hit the floor wretching, but the poison was in his veins, not his stomach. The room blurred and spun, and he continued the futile vomiting while the people around him panicked. 01 choked up the sour, metallic taste of blood, and then was lost to familiar blackness.  
  
~~~~  
  
For a week after the discovery of the attacked base, Preventers HQ gained no more information about their missing agent. It was night shift again, and Lady Une saw no need to change schedules, so Duo and Trowa were again in charge of the search. Both computers beeped, opening related files. A former weapons test building was under attack - even as they read the message. The base had sent out to the main leader for help, which was the message Trowa and Duo intercepted. The building wasn't even supposed to be occupied, but apparantly, it was still in business. Duo bolted down the hall to inform Zechs, and then to call Lady Une. They would have to go there.  
  
~~~~  
  
01 leaned against a high chain-link fence and watched the building in front of him burn and collapse. One week in the infermory wasn't enough, he thought, shaking his head to clear his vision. How could they not have known he was allergic to truth serum? 'They know now,' he thought, 'and they won't forget it'. He shouldered his lazer rifle, a remarkable gun that he was told to keep out of the hands of any enemy. They didn't want the enemy to have technology to beat their own. With a sigh, 01 stepped over the heap of burning rubble, searching for the object of his mission. There it was as plain as day and unharmed. He picked it up - a small piece of metal . . . some kind of alloy. He looked at it curiously for a moment, then jumped down and headed towards the now-open gate.  
  
He saw them - the two young men that were watching him. His instincts and orders told him to kill them both, but he kept walking. A black van skid to a halt in front of him and the side door slid open. He stepped listlessly into it. He heard the door close and felt another needle pierce his skin. The next thing he knew, he was back in his 'cell.'  
  
~~~~  
  
Two hours later, when Duo and Trowa returned, Duo shook his head vigorously. "What the Hell!?" he exclaimed. "Zombie Heero . . . scary. What the heck happened to him?"  
  
"Why are you asking me?" Trowa replied on their way to Lady Une's office to report. "I know as much as you do. We're lucky he didn't kill us."  
  
"Yea, but, damn . . ." Duo sighed. "Hey, man -" he looked at his watch, "It's time for breakfast. I'll see you." Duo walked off, headed for either the cafeteria and muttering to himself the whole way. Someone came up behind him and covered his eyes. "Hey Hilde," he mumbled, grabbing her hands and pulling her up next to him.  
  
Hilde grinned. "Hey - any news? Aw, what's wrong?"  
  
Sighing, Duo replied, "Well, we found Heero."  
  
"Really? That's good, right?"  
  
"Yea, but he's fighting for the other guys . . . zombie Heero or somethin' - his eyes were all blank and -" Duo imitated the emotionless expression that was on Heero's face. "And he's blowing crap up. That's not cool."  
  
"Oh. Well, you just ruined my morning . . ." Hilde frowned.  
  
With an exagerated yawn, Duo replied, "Yea, how'd ya think I felt? I mean, geez . . . I'm gonna have to spend the rest of the day filling out paperwork." He frowned, adding to himself, "And I might have to fight my best friend . . ."  
  
Hilde smiled sweetly at him, wondering how to cheer him up, snatched his hat, and ran down the hall. He raised an eyebrow. "Hilde-babe," he called, "I don't wanna play. Give that back . . . Hey! Hilde! Get back here!" He ran off after her. Hilde scurried out the front doors onto the street, down the stairs, and around the corner. Duo came to a screeching halt down the hall in an effort to not run into Relena. "Hey, beautiful," he greeted her warmly, as usual. "'Sup?"  
  
Relena returned his smile forcibly. "Did you find him?"  
  
Shifting, Duo's hand reached instinctively for the back of his head. "Yea . . . and no . . ." he muttered guiltily.  
  
She nodded. "He's working for them?"  
  
"Yea . . . but . . ."  
  
Relena nodded again. "I know that," she said. "They brainwashed him, I think," she added.  
  
Duo opened his mouth to reply, but cocked his head instead, confused. "Yup, guess so," he said, watching her walk off. "Guess she just needed to hear it from someone else," he said to himself. "Ah, well . . . now where did Hilde go?" He dashed madly out of HQ and down the street in search of the girl that swiped his hat.  
  
~~~~  
  
There was a rumor going around about who He was. Nobody knew how it started, but it spread like wildfire until, eventually, he heard it. When he was no longer forced to stay in his room at all times, he would eat lunch in the cafeteria with the other trainees and employees. He sat in the corner, away from everyone, but watched them and listened. The rumor, however it started, traveled from between the guards first, then to the lower workers, and at last, the trainees like himself. He heard it only by chance.  
  
01 looked at the two mechanics standing in his way. They didn't notice him - they were too busy chattering about something. He shrugged and leaned against the wall. He wasn't in any hurry.  
  
"No -" one of the mechanics was saying, "I can't believe they did it, either. It's like . . . a death wish or something."  
  
"Yea, really. How did they pull it off - that's what amazes me. How long have they had him?"  
  
"I don't know. All I know is that there is one here, and he doesn't even know it . . ." The mechanic frowned and shook her head. "A Gundam pilot," she said, walking into the cafeteria. "I can't believe it." The other mechanic followed her, shaking his head in the same way.  
  
01's eyes widened. Gundam pilot? 'Why does that sound so familiar?' he wondered. He didn't bother eating, but took a detour into one of the training rooms. He looked at the mobile suit simulators and walked down the line. Finally, he found the one he was looking for. All of them were reconstructions of mobile suit cockpits, and each of them had their own special features, but this one stood out. The cockpit was more high-tech than the rest. "A Gundam," he muttered under his breath, studying it. Now, he could remember - he remembered the feel of the gigantic mobile suit in actual battle, the movements, the weapons, and . . . He heard someone walking up behind him and turned around. "Dr. Robinson," he said.  
  
Dr. Robinson frowned. "What the Hell are you doing in here, kid?"  
  
"Looking at the simulators."  
  
"Why?"  
  
"I felt like it."  
  
Dr. Robinson nodded. "Free time's up," he said. "You're supposed to report to the infermary for a check up. Get." 01 walked out, and Dr. Robinson called the Commander. "Sir," he said. "01 is getting suspicious. Found him in the simulator room without permission. What should I do about it, then, sir?" His face fell. "Yes, of course, sir."  
  
~~~~  
  
Duo yawned, sipping the coffee in the small coffee shop where he found Hilde hiding. It was much better than the coffee the Preventers get, but at least that coffee was free.  
  
"You haven't come home for nearly a week," Hilde said. She was 'wearing' his hat now, and he had given up trying to retrieve it from her head.  
  
This was true; Duo had been sleeping at HQ because there was really no point in leaving. Lady Une had him running errands at various times of the day, as well as searching for Heero at night. When this crisis ended, he thought, he'd never want to see that place again. He smiled sleepily. "Yea . . . Sorry."  
  
"It's okay," she returned his smile. "I just worry about you."  
  
Duo feigned surprise. "Me?" he said, raising his eyebrows. "Ah, Hilde- babe, why would you do a thing like that?"  
  
She giggled. "Duo Maxwell," she said, "you bother me."  
  
"I know." He finished his coffee. "I have a feeling Lady Une's going to be bothering the both of us if we don't get back," he told her, and they wandered back to the building.  
  
When they walked through the door, the both decided that they weren't leaving again, possibly ever, for fear of missing any more than they did in the few minutes they were gone. Preventers were rushing around like mad. Apparently, as a Preventer whom Duo interrogated was told, one of the Preventers bases in China had been ruthlessly attacked. "Oh," muttered Duo, "Juuust peachy."  
  
~~~~  
  
01's bitter smiled scared the soldiers in the familiar black van. He gave the mission details, the fatality count, and other various bits of information he was asked for. Satisfied, the officer gave another soldier the okay to inject 01 with anesthesia. The mission they hoped he would have failed went wonderfully. The Preventers base was in smokes, and no doubt, the rest of the Preventers were hot on their trail. This didn't matter to 01; he knew nothing of the Preventers or even of the organization he was currently involved in. He followed orders and left it at that - whether he wanted to or not.  
  
~~~~  
  
Relena sighed, searching through the ruins of the smoldering building. There were few survivors. She looked at Lady Une, who was searching the horizon for that black van. She shook her head. "He's close by," she said quietly to herself. "I can feel it."  
  
~~~~END CHAPTER~~~~ 


	5. Attack

Disclaimer: I am but a poor high school student with nothing better to do. Don't deprive me of my obsessions because you want more money than you already have.  
  
A/N: Why do the fun-to-write fics 'never' get many reviews? Is it some government conspiracy? I knew it . . .  
  
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Invalidated Fatality  
  
Chapter 5  
  
~~~~  
  
01 sat on the metal bed, his aching head in his hands. Dr. Robinson had increased the amount of medication, which did not settle well. 01 could hardly walk in a straight line. They said this would only be temporary - soon, they would be able to go back to the regular dosage. Until then, 01 would have to suffer. He lay down, closing his eyes and going to sleep to escape the agony that tormented his waking hours. Damn them all.  
  
~~~~  
  
Two days later, 01 stood emotionlessly at attention before his commanding officers. He felt nothing. He thought nothing. Dr. Robinson sighed - this is what they had done. They had turned a talented, headstrong young warrior into a mindless killing machine that no longer had it's own . . . anything. It was a waste, really. More people like him were needed in the world, but their organization required that these people be eliminated. The organization wanted to dominate the Earth Sphere, and in order to do so, all possible rebels must be destroyed.  
  
The colonel gave 01 his orders and sent him out. Then he turned to Dr. Lake. "That shit won't wear off, will it?" he asked.  
  
The head scientist nodded. "Of course it will. But if we get enough into his system, it will last for nearly a month, then a year, and if we continue the dosage, it could last for the rest of his life. Providing he lives that long."  
  
"Alright," the colonel replied, "but how about right now?"  
  
"He has to return in five hours - three or four because he is strong. The next dosage we give him should last two days."  
  
"Of course." the colonel turned abruptly on his heel, snapping orders at one of his men. "Call 01 back at 0400 hours. Tell him to report to Dr. Robinson."  
  
"Yes, sir!"  
  
~~~~  
  
It was 0100 hours. 01 stood before the expansive Preventers Headquarters. His orders were to destroy it, but to bring back Lady Une and Relena Peacecraft alive. His mechanical mind shifted to his battle plan as he examined the building. Reaching into the interior of his black trench coat, 01 pulled out a semi-automatic machine gun. He narrowed his eyes, calculating every move he'd need to make and how quickly. He had to return to base in three hours, so time was limited. 01 made his first move.  
  
From an upstairs window, Lady Une watched him. She turned to the four young men standing in her office. "Gentlemen," she said calmly, "Heero Yuy has returned. This time, he's trying to kill us. You will act accordingly."  
  
Preventers HQ was easy to infiltrate. The hallways were mostly deserted, and no alarm system went off, although he could see the security cameras. Something was wrong. He was told that the building would be occupied by the Preventers nightshift. It was full of Preventers even just the night before. He heard a click behind him and turned. He knew where it came from - a stairwell to the side, apparently going down to the basement. He narrowed his eyes, kept his guard up, and continued in the direction he was heading. Every instinct in his body told him to turn around and leave, but the only thought going through his head was his orders, which seemed to be on "endless cycle." Everything else came naturally.  
  
Another click. This one came from one of the many cubicles in the middle of the room. 01 stopped, his mind calculating where it came from. He heard the hum of several computers, the whirr of the ceiling fans, but . . . there it was. Three cubicles ahead, a faint shadow on the cubicle wall moved. 01 drew a silenced pistol from the back of his pants and headed for the elevator just across from said cubicle. He pushed the up arrow, watched the metal bar that followed the elevators progress drop in its gauge, and shot at the cubicle just as the elevator dinged into place. Then, without even turning around, he boarded the empty elevator, selected his floor, and was gone.  
  
"Son of a . . ." Duo hit his knees, clutching his stomach as Quatre and Hilde ran up from the basement to help him.  
  
~~~~  
  
Ding. 7th floor. 01 walked into another empty office area, glanced around, and walked down the hallway to his right. The third door caught his eye, and he pushed it open. Inside stood a girl with sandy brown hair, calm blue eyes, and a sad smile. 01 froze when her eyes met his.  
  
He must have been standing there a while; by the time he could feel his heartbeat return, footsteps were running down the hall. 01 lowered his gun and turned away from the girl. She looked almost surprised, and his heart paused again when he saw her eyes fill with tears. He glanced down the hall and ran. Several Preventers followed closely.  
  
The window was hard to break, but 01 had the technology. It shattered, stinging his arm, which he had used to cover his face. He heard the Preventers skid to a halt.  
  
"What is he doing!?" One of them exclaimed.  
  
"You idiots," a colder voice replied. "He's going to jump." The young Chinese man watched as 01 did indeed jump out the shattered window.  
  
"He doesn't have a parachute . . ." Another Preventer muttered. "He'll die."  
  
Wufei snorted. "No he won't. I doubt he'll even break a bone." He turned around sharply and yelled down the hall, "He's on the street! Someone follow him!"  
  
~~~~  
  
Review, please, or you will become a zombie minion, and I will use you to fulfill my desires . . . Destroying the world, doing the dishes, cleaning the litter box . . . 


	6. Escape

Disclaimer: Cows say moo, ducks go quack, and younger siblings screech. Any questions? Oh . . . umm... Standard disclaimers apply . . .  
  
A/N: I know this chapter's written badly, but finals are in two weeks, I'm stressed out, and you're just going to have to live with it. So there. blows raspberry

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Chapter 6  
  
"You what!?"  
  
"Couldn't find her, sir . . ." 01 replied slowly.  
  
"Well, maybe she wasn't there, Commander . . ." a guard suggested.  
  
Commander Hinton took a deep breath. "01," he snarled, "perhaps you weren't looking hard enough."  
  
"The Preventers knew I was there," 01's throat bothered him when he spoke. Dr. Robinson said it partially the medicine they gave him and partially the fact that 01 rarely said anything. "I was under attack, sir."  
  
"All right, all right." Hinton glared at him, his bland brown eyes nearly popping out of his skull. It was more amusing than intimidating. "But you will be punished for this; mistakes are not an option!" He signaled someone with a wave of his arm and stomped out.  
  
01 watched as several nurses scurried in and surrounded him. A doctor examined his arm, which was only scratched, and jabbed him with a needle. The world faded to black, and 01 was dragged roughly back to his room.

-----  
  
That girl. She was . . . beautiful. Familiar. . . . Sad. 01 jerked awake, his aching head close to exploding. With a groan, 01 stood up. His whole body shook with the effort, and the room spun around him. He had to get out. He was going insane. 01 stumbled to the door, but it was locked. He turned around and looked at the security camera. For some reason, it was already disabled. The red light was out, and the wire in back was smoking. He frowned, turned, and looked curiously at the door. Moments later, he kicked it down. The guard was caught unconcious beneath it. 01 stepped catiously out of his cell, looking around to see which way was safe. Carefully, he hoisted the door back in place, robbed the guard of his weapons and uniform, and walked nonchalantly down the hall.  
  
He wouldn't make it very far, he knew. His head was soaring somewhere above the clouds, his body shook, and he nothing in front of him would hold still. Nonetheless, he had to try. Maybe they'd kill him for it. He'd be lucky then.  
  
When the alarm sounded, he heard the soldiers shouting down the hall behind him and sped up. "Damn it," he muttered, leaning against the wall so he wouldn't be trampled. Puzzled as to why he was standing there, the soldiers looked at him. "Hey - what're you doing? Hear that alarm?"  
  
01 nodded and adopted a rather confused expression. "Yea. I wasn't informed of the circumstances . . ."  
  
"Oh. Well, one of the test subjects - one of the 'human weapons' ones - got loose. Obviously, it's dangerous, and apparently, we have to go catch it. Is that about it?" He turned to the rest of the group, which nodded. Naturally, they were in no hurry to go find the dangerous experiment.  
  
"I see. I guess I'll check down this way . . ." 01 turned down a side hall, which was slightly darker and easier on his eyes. Unfortunately, the alarm still blared, and 01's headache steadily worsened.  
  
"Sure. See you." The small group continued their way, but one of them remained. He stuck his hands in his pockets and followed after 01.  
  
"I know the way out." He said eventually, when he realized that 01 was blatantly ignoring him.  
  
Confused, 01 eyed him. The solider was probably about 6 foot 5, which was a lot taller than 01's five feet, eleven inches. Also, the soldier's hair covered half of his face. The one green eye that could be seen was void of expression. 01 trusted him. For what reason, he didn't know. The soldier jerked his head to the side and indicated 01 follow him. Warily, 01 did so. The soldier led him to the front door. "Once you get out," he whispered, "Run. Wait for me at a gray jeep on the highway." Glancing at 01's skeptical expression, the soldier added, "I'll meet you there."  
  
"Hn." 01 pushed open the door and ran. He ran because he saw the sentinels, who were armed with machine guns, stationed on the walls of the compound. Shooting at them, he skid through the rapidly closing gate at the edge of the compound and kept running until he found the jeep, which was hidden in some brush down the road. Jumping lightly into it, 01 searched himself for bullet wounds and luckily found none. However, everything around him became distorted.  
  
"Unghhh . . ." 01 groaned, clutching his head as new pain seared through his body. He felt like he was on fire. His body lurched, he yelped, and his already distorted surroundings faded into nothingness.

-----  
  
Trowa dumped his machine gun into the backseat and hopped into the jeep. As he sped away, he looked in the rearview mirror. The rebel base was in flames. He smirked, then looked at the unconscious young man beside him.

----  
  
"Heero."  
  
The voice . . . it was calling. But who was it calling? That name sounded familiar. Maybe . . .  
  
With effort, 01 forced his eyes to open. The soldier from earlier was leaning against a wall with a cup of coffee in his hands. A woman bent over him.  
  
"Hey," she said warmly. "Remember me?"  
  
01's eyebrows came together. Should he? He shook his head slowly.  
  
The woman straightened up and placed a hand on her hip indignantly. "Well." she said, obviously joking. "I'm Sally Po. And you . . ." she sighed, "you are in bad shape. What did they do to you?"  
  
He didn't know.  
  
The woman sighed again, heavily this time, and looked at the soldier. "Trowa, you're right . . . he should stay here. You guys stayed here during the war? Or is this just an emergency safe-house?"  
  
"Emergency."  
  
"Okay. Well, he should stay here, and someone should stay with him. I'm going to take a blood sample from you, if you don't mind," she said to 01 kindly. He looked at her curiously. Kindness was new to him. "Do you?"  
  
". . . no . . ." He was used to needles.  
  
"'kay, thanks." Sally Po poked the needle into his arm and drew deep red blood into several viles. "All right . . ." She looked back at Trowa. "Stay here until I inform Lady Une - unless you already have." Trowa shook his head. "OKay, I'll see if she'll send someone else out." Sally left.  
  
"Fine." Trowa nodded. He looked back at 01 with an odd expression.  
  
01's gaze traveled around the small room. He was insanely comfortable - the bed was an actual bed, not a cold slab of metal. The lights weren't blinding and didn't give him a headache. Other than a faint buzzing in his head, there was no other noise. 01 frowned at the soldier. "Why'd you save me?"  
  
Trowa's eyes brightened. Amusing - in all that Heero had been through in the past month or so, he hadn't changed a bit. Trowa shrugged. "I didn't save you; I helped you."  
  
Annoyed, 01 snapped, "Why?"  
  
Again, Trowa was amused. "Because you needed it."  
  
There was no contesting with that.

----  
  
Lady Une glanced up as Sally Po walked into her office. "Yes?"  
  
"Lady Une, Relena," Sally glanced at Relena, who was sitting in a chair by the window, "I have good news."  
  
"You found Heero." Relena said.  
  
Grinning, Sally replied, "Yes. Yes, we did. He's alive, he's fine, but they wiped his memory or something. I took a blood sample; it's in the lab right now. We should get the results in an hour or so."  
  
Lady Une breathed a sigh of relief and relaxed in her chair. She looked gratefully up at the ceiling. "There is a God somewhere," she said quietly.  
  
Sally walked over to Relena. "We're not bringing him here just yet," she said. "They'll probably look for him here. If you want, you can come with me when I go back."  
  
Relena nodded, her sad eyes still focused on the street below.  
  
"Okay, good. I'll be back to get you." Sally opened the door again, and Lady Une and Relena could here shouts of joy and various 'whooping' noises coming from down the hall. Duo's voice was distinguishable in the group, but the others were unknown.

----  
  
Now, you WILL review, or I'll send my horde of samurai bunnies after you.


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